The Learning Brain Memory and Brain Development in Children

All learning takes place in the brain, and the key to a child's development is how its brain matures. But how can we take the step from knowledge of neurons to education? What is the cause of inattention, dyslexia, or dyscalculia? How does brain maturation affect teenage behavior? These are all important questions to ask as many statistics suggest that levels of knowledge in children have stagnated and in some cases receded. The USA, Sweden, and several European countries are losing ground against Asian nations. International assessments of children's reading and mathematical skills are conducted at regular intervals, and in one such study, the United States ranked 15th in reading, math, and science, below all participating Asian countries. It's not surprising, then, if decision-makers have started to seek new solutions, and if their gazes have turned to neuroscience. Recently, there has been a surge of interest in the link between neuroscience and pedagogy, learning, and memory. The subject has been discussed in scientific papers and debate articles, at congresses and conferences the world over. Organizations, research centers, and journals have been created to deal exclusively with this issue. New methods now enable us to study how the infant brain develops and what occurs there during the learning process, and to identify the problems that cause learning difficulties. Drawing fom his and others research, and, in certain cases, stories and examples, Torkel Klingberg, a leading cognitive neuroscientist, shows how the brain is affected by genes, stress, physical exercise, and parental relationships. The result of his research,The Learning Brain,demonstrates how we can give our children and teenagers the best opportunities to learn and develop.

Torkel Klingberg, MD, PhD, is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Stockholm Brain Institute, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. His work on child development and brain training is at the international front line. Klingberg leads a major Swedish project on child development, lectures regularly at international conferences, is the recipient of several prizes, and a member of the Nobel Assembly. He is the author of The Overflowing Brain: Information Overload and the Limits of Working Memory (OUP).